Everything
by MixedBreedMaiya
Summary: She wasn't a shy woman—under normal circumstances. Conservative and cautious, perhaps, but not shy. But tonight, every wall broken down and every mask stripped away, lifted like the veil she no longer wore, she was entirely vulnerable, and it showed in the faint pink on her cheeks. [RainexRegal]


Hello! Thank you for reading my latest little snapshot. This is the first and only M-rated piece I've written, and certainly the most intimate. I'm nervous to post it, as it's a very personal topic for me. But I wanted to capture this nuance of their relationship, too. So I hope you'll enjoy it, and if you get a chance, let me know what you think.

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This was it. This was the culmination of the day. The ceremony, the party; the food and music and all the people; the dances, the speeches, and every well-wishing toast.. All of that was special and meaningful and wonderful, true enough, but that had been the wedding, as much for the public as for them. This was private, just their own. This...was the marriage.

Though it had long since become her home, too, still he had insisted on carrying her over the threshold. With a smile, he let her slide back to the floor there in the dim living room, but he didn't release her. Not at first. He just gazed down at her, holding her close to him by the waist.

"Here we are," he murmured.

The corner of her mouth twitched upward. "Here we are," she replied. The fond smile stretched a little when he trailed his fingertips down the side of her face.

"I've been waiting to say this, and now I finally can. Welcome home, Lady Bryant." He leaned down to steal a single kiss, to which she submitted willingly. But then, after another few seconds, something in his expression changed.

Regal let his hands slide up along her back and kissed her again, slow and gentle, pressing his body against hers. Her fingers found the line of his jaw and traced it back until they cradled his own neck, threaded through his hair. Without breaking, he reached up and undid the silver clasp holding back hers, and it tumbled back into place over her shoulders with just the slightest wave, a result of being up all day. The jewelry was tossed to one side, and neither of them spared it a glance. His grip tightened around her. She felt his fingers tug at the lacing of her gown, felt his breath quicken, and her heart began to pound. She wasn't Colette; she wasn't naive. She knew what was happening. But when his other hand began to deftly untie the silken wrap she wore against the cool evening,something suddenly gripped her, and out of reflex she recoiled.

At once he stopped what he was doing and pulled back a little to search her face, not in irritation at being interrupted, but concern. "What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Raine shook her head and turned her eyes toward the ceiling before closing them entirely for a second. She held the wrap in place with a tight fist in front of her chest. It was just the two of them, alone. It should have been easy. She had already made the promise to give herself completely to this man, and it wasn't like she didn't trust him. Still, inexplicably, and somewhat unexpectedly, she found herself...scared. Not of him, but of _this_.

It wasn't her first time, and they both knew that. But it would be the first time it truly meant something. The first time she really, genuinely, badly _wanted _it. The first time it wouldn't leave an invisible scar. But the scars were there, and she couldn't escape that.

She wasn't a shy woman—under normal circumstances. Conservative and cautious, perhaps, but not shy. But tonight, every wall broken down and every mask stripped away, lifted like the veil she no longer wore, she was entirely vulnerable, and it showed in the faint pink on her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I just..."

His face softened. Gently, he brushed hair out of her face. "It's all right," he assured her, still hushed. "It's all right. ...Come."

Regal took her slender hand in his and drew her toward the stairs. They climbed them together, mindful of the hem of her dress. At the top, he led them down the hall and to the bedroom, Their bedroom. The only light up here came from the remnants of twilight from outside the window, and he didn't bother trying to remedy that. Instead, after closing the door, he tugged her to the bed and sat them both down on it.

"We can go...as slowly as you want to," he told her, stroking a hand down along one of her arms. "I will never push you. If you aren't ready, we don't have to. As long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you, Raine...I can wait. As long as it takes, I can wait. Whatever you want. Just tell me."

She had been staring at her lap, at their joined hands. She brought his knuckles to her cheek, and he leaned over to rest his forehead against hers. "You're nervous," he whispered. "I know. So am I." He touched his lips to her brow before replacing his own.

She shut her eyes tightly and let her nose bump against his. This was stupid. "I shouldn't be," she insisted.

"There is no 'should.' Raine, more than anything, I want to get this right. And if this place, this moment, is not right, then I don't want to force it. I don't want to force _you. _But do know," he added, releasing her hand to draw his fingers down through her hair, "that you are all I want and all I ever will. Just the privilege of holding you is more than I could ask, You are beauty, my love, inside and out, and every day you amaze me, and whatever you give me, whatever you entrust to me, I will never let it fall. I know you've been hurt. I know you are scared. But when you _are _ready...I'm here. Whatever you want."

Regal stroked her head one last time before he straightened and stood. Her face burning with frustration at herself, she watched his back as he turned to walk toward the bath, shedding the jacket of his suit as he went. One hand still gripped the shawl, while the other now curled about a handful of her skirt. She swallowed hard against the anxiety. But something in his words stuck with her, and it started to sink in.

This wasn't like before, when she had submitted to unspoken demand because it was expected and "normal." This wasn't an infatuation, or doing what she thought would make her worthy of affection. This wasn't someone else's desire at her expense. This came with no strings, no stipulations, no catch. This was different.

All I want.

All I ever will.

Whatever..._you_ want.

As he finished unbuttoning his shirt and slipped out of it, having already set aside his belt, she rose from the bed and onto her feet. She could just make out his skin in the fading light, and her heart picked up again. The hand clinging to the wrap finally relaxed, and it went falling to a heap on the floor at her feet. The quiet sound as it hit the carpet barely registered in her ears, but it was enough to draw his attention, and he twisted to blink over his shoulder.

For a moment, he just looked at her, his head tilted while she stared. Stared at the best thing that had ever happened to her; the only person she was really, truly willing to give..._everything_. He had her heart; he had her mind. All that was left was what others had taken, but what he only asked. And in return, she would get all of him. It wasn't for him, but for them. He was trusting her just as much as he requested she trust him. It was more than fair.

"...I want you," she told him at last, loud enough to carry across the room but too soft to disturb it. Each breath stirred pieces of hair that fell across her eyes, but she made no move to push them aside. "And I want to be...entirely yours. Every piece. Everything."

Regal turned around. A long moment passed before he dropped the discarded shirt in his hands on the nearest surface, which happened to be a dresser, and started to close the distance he had placed between them. His gaze never left hers, and he moved steadily forward until they stood inches apart. Slowly, he lifted one enormous hand to place it against her chest, and there he let it rest for a moment, as if memorizing the beat of her heart. "And I yours," he murmured. That hand inched down, his eyes falling with it, until his fingers hooked in the neckline of her dress while the other smoothed up the back of her head and tangled itself in her hair. He placed another kiss to her forehead and banished any space that still remained between them.

Moving deliberately, but not hesitantly, he reached around to pull the last knot out of the lacing up her back. She felt the tension of the fabric loosen, and all the while, as she took quick, light breaths in anticipation, he cradled the base of her skull and lowered his head to press his lips to her neck with a soft, "Everything."

She tilted her head back, letting her eyes close again, and enjoyed the pleasant shiver that passed through her spine. She brushed her chin affectionately against his temple, and in this rare moment, Raine felt her body start to take over for her mind. He tugged at her straps and, with her full cooperation, slipped her arms out of them. Never even looking up, he began to remove the cording from the back of the gown entirely, and when it, too,was gone, dropped and kicked away to land goddess-knew where, she herself pulled the dress down and away until it could join the wrap in one big pile of white cloth on the floor. She didn't even notice the chill now, reveling in every warm, unhurried kiss against her neck, her jaw, her collarbone. His hands caressed her shoulders, her arms, and at his touch, she was completely safe.

Even when he nudged them a step further to the side and backed her up, blindly unfastening the front of the bodice she wore underneath, he got no fight. She took her cue and sat down on the bed once more. Regal didn't draw away, didn't pause once, meeting her lips again as he gently tipped her over until she was lying on her back. She shifted a little further onto the mattress, sliding off her shoes, and he climbed up after her. But here, straddling her on his knees with one hand supporting himself against the pillows beside her head and the other still resting against her rib cage, where just one hook had yet to be undone, he finally looked down at her. There was a subtle sheen of sweat on his bare chest, and she could see his shoulders rise and fall heavily, but while there was a sort of hunger on his face, it didn't swallow the care.

"Are you certain?" he asked her, his voice a little gritty with adrenaline. "Completely certain?"

Raine took in his expression, his blue eyes and the strands of hair that came loose from the braid. She was silent for a time, but at length, a smile started to form. She laid her hand flat against his broad, solid chest. His frame was massive compared to hers, but anyone who knew him knew he was the gentlest giant. Even now, especially now, he would be nothing less.

"For the first time," she murmured, running her fingertips down his chest toward his waist, and feeling the tone of every muscle in the torso of the body that would now belong wholly to her, "I really am."

"We don't have to do this, Raine. If it isn't what you want—"

"Regal." She put her knuckles to his mouth to silence him. The same sort of desire crept into her chest, too, and tightened her stomach, and she used her other hand to tug at the waistband of his slacks, pulling him closer with a whispered, "Stop talking."

After a beat, her smile was reflected in his own face, and the kiss he bridged this time was one of passion and abandon. Raine arched her back to be nearer to him and returned that kiss just as earnestly, without a shred of doubt now.

This was marriage. This was theirs. And she was ready.


End file.
